Blessing Celebration 16 years!

Thanks Living. 

Each year in October I take time to reflect and focus on all the blessings that God has given me. This October 25 will be the 16th anniversary of my back injury. Sixteen years. 

I remember Oct 25, 2000 very clearly. Although at times it would have been nice to know the future God had planned for me, God in His wisdom, knew it was best I didn't know. I needed to trust Him daily and rely on Him. 

As I was thinking back this morning and studying Psalm 30:5 "joy comes in the morning." I remember so clearly those dark painful times—and thinking, "would morning ever come again?" Where is the joy? Will I ever know joy again? Or has the all-consuming-pain robbed me of joy forever? 

I realized I had a choice to make. The pain wasn't going away. But I could escape the dark, lonely, despair of the night! How? By making a choice — by choosing to remember the facts I know about God Almighty. By understanding who God is and that He really is in control and He has a plan and purpose for me—I could begin to see the dawning of the morning. The plan and purpose of my life—to glorify Him in all I do, say, think, and how I live my life—would allow the morning to dawn and bring with it God's joy. 

Thanks Living. Taking time in the midst of the dark times of pain and despair to remember who God Almighty is and His plan of my life. 

Thanks Living. That even in the midst of pain, God really does give joy and peace. 

Thanks Living. Taking the time to celebrate God and His amazing goodness toward me. 

Thanks Living. Celebrate God's blessings in my life and give Him the praise and honor for who He is and all He does. 

Psalm 30:5 (VOICE): His wrath, you see, is fleeting, but His grace lasts a lifetime. The deepest pains may linger through the night, but joy greets the soul with the smile of morning.

Psalm 30:5 (GW): His anger lasts only a moment. His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may last for the night, but there is a song of joy in the morning.

Thanks Living: Recount in Celebration (TOWDAH)

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing. Psalm 107:21, 22

Give thanks: praise

Goodness: covenant loyalty, lovingkindness in redemption from enemies and troubles

Wonderful works: to be surpassing or extraordinary

Sacrifice: denotes worship or adoration

Thanksgiving: Towdah (todah), thanking God for “things not yet received" as well as things already at hand.

Declare: intensively, to recount, celebrate

Rejoicing: gladness, joy, proclamation, rejoicing, triumph; shout of joy

God is loyal and faithful.

He has done mighty and beyond extraordinary things.

He more than deserves our worship and adoration.

Because God is faithful, He deserves our thanks for past, present, and future blessings. 

His loving acts and kindness should be counted and recounted in celebration of who God is! 

And in doing each of these, the heart should be overflowing with joy—causing one to shout in triumph and joy!

Thanks Living, TOWDAH. Recount in celebration God's faithfulness! 

Thanks Living: Promote Proudly (TOWDAH)

I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30

Praise: be boastful, celebrate, to shine

Song: in worship

Magnify: To be, make, large in estate or honor, also in pride; promote, proudly

Thanksgiving: Towdah (or todah), thanking God for “things not yet received" as well as things already at hand.

Promote proudly.

We wear shirts, shoes, jerseys and we carry travel mugs, backpacks, etc all showing our favorite sports team/player. We do it proudly. 

Right now March Madness is happening. People have changed their Facebook profile to proudly promote their team. 

How do I promote God Almighty? 

The way which is one that can be done by all—is to praise and give thanks to God. Be boastful in my speech, and words. Promote God by thanking Him for all He's done and all He's going to do. 

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15

Thanks Living—promote proudly with TOWDAH, my great and awesome God! 

Thanks Living: PR Business

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15

Offer: of presentation as a priestly act

Praise: a thank-offering, presented to God for some benefit received

Fruit: that which originates or comes from something; an effect, result

Giving thanks: to praise, celebrate

To His name: promoting his cause; therefore equivalent to his divinity, the divine majesty and perfections

Comes from something. 

When you think about it, our attitudes and outlook on life, all are the result of something. If we want to live a positive life, we must start with praising God. Praising God puts us in our place, so to speak. We realize that it's not all about us, or what we want. Rather, it's about who God is and accomplishing His will to bring glory and honor to Him. 

Giving God the praise and worship because of who He is and the salvation He give us, will result in our celebration of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving will then in turn let others know of God as we promote Him and all He does. Yes, we are to be in the PR business for God! 

What is Public Relations (PR)? Public relations focuses on promoting the image of a company or individual. The aim of public relations is to inform the others and ultimately persuade them to maintain a certain view about an organization or individual. 

And to be in the Thanks Living PR business, it begins with praise to God as the result will be a celebration of thanksgiving to God! 

Are you in the Thanks Living PR business? I sure want to be! 

Proverbs 12:8 Celebration or Contempt

A man will be commended according to his wisdom, but he who is of a perverse heart will be despised. Proverbs 12:8

Commended: to shine, celebrate

According to: in such proportion

Wisdom: insight, understanding

Perverse: one perverted of mind, commit iniquity, do wickedly, do wrong

Heart: inner man, desire, motive, thoughts, will

Despised: contempt, shamed, disrespect 

It will happen—the question is which will it be—Celebration or Contempt? 

The media often shows the faces of those who commit crimes. Sometimes to help locate the individual, other times to shame them, and other times just because it's news. A local Law Enforcement agency posts a "Wall of Shame" each month of those caught shop lifting. Often I wonder to those people care that they are now known for their perverse action? Do they care about the embarrassment they are to their family? Do they even realize the contempt they've brought to themselves? 

Commended according to his wisdom. 

I'd rather that a picture of me would be cause to celebrate and bring blessing to others. And more importantly, that I'd be a blessing to God as He watches what I do. 

If I want to be cause for celebration, then my heart must be permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31 MSG). The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. And the more I respect and fear God, the more my heart will want to learn wisdom, and then allow wisdom to impact my heart and life. 

Celebration or Contempt. Which does your picture inspire? 

Patsy Clairmont posted this quote the other day: "When I think of certain people everything in me smiles. I want to be that kind of person for others, don't you?" 

That sums up Proverbs 12:8 pretty well. 

Blessings Celebration: 15 Years

There are moments in time that are etched into our minds. One of those moments for me happened on October 25, 2000. I remember the dark green sofa on which I was reclining. I remember trying to get work done to meet a deadline, in spite of battling bronchitis. I remember the deep coughing and then a searing burning sharp intense pain. I remember rolling off the sofa onto the floor in pain. I remember trying to get up and realizing that it was just too painful to move. I remember....... 

Over the past 15 years, I remember the numerous tests, procedures, surgeries, visits to specialists and the chronic pain and headaches. 

I also remember the amazing and wonderful blessings that God has showered upon me over the past 15 years. WOW! When I stop to reflect on those blessing, I can't but celebrate God's goodness. 

A few weeks ago I read Psalm 21:1-3.

The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head.

I really like that phrase, "meet him with blessings of goodness." As I reflect back over the past 15 years on all the blessings of goodness that God has given me, I can't help but praise Him. 

A few highlights of the Blessings of Goodness that God has given over the past 15 years. 

• 1. Awesome Doctors.
• 2. A friend who gracious opened her home to me, so that I could live within 5 min of a Dr. who would see me twice a day for a few weeks. And she has continued to be an encouragement to me over the years. 
• 3. Spending time at my Sister's home following surgery and rehab. (God even made sure I was at the same rehab center that my sister would spend time at years later. That allowed me to know what my sister would be doing and experiencing.) 
• 4. A ride in the Good Year Blimp. (Yep, really!)
• 5. Introduction to an amazing FRIEND! And the friendship as grown stronger over the years. Truly a blessing from God. 
• 6. A pharmacy mistake that led to them paying for an expensive medication! (A total God thing!)
• 7. Contest wins..... oh so many! Some I enjoyed, some I passed along as gifts and some I was able to sell to help pay bills. Some of the highlights include: a bike, a HUGE grill, NASCAR grandstand tickets (which God changed to PIT Passes), tickets to a musical show, gift cards to restaurants, grocery stores, online shops, t-shirts, hats, autographed items... the list goes on and on!
• 8. Timing. God's timing is always perfect. From using geese to keep me from leaving (that delay kept me from an accident), or car repairs delaying a car purchase until the right one was ready. To me moving to Florida and getting settled-in so that I could be here to help my parents during my Mom's hospitalization. To leading me to a different vehicle as I'll be driving my parents around. God is always on time, never late! 
• 9. The Castle. I still am in awe that God made way to provide this awesome home for my parents and I. As I think through the details that God worked through and all that God taught me, all I can say is... "Thank you, Lord!" (Read about it here: http://createapositiveday.blogspot.com/2015/05/announcement-part-1-im-moving.html.)
• 10. And I can't forget Max, my parakeet. God gave him to me on April 2003 for my birthday. Max provided many laughs and silly companionship over the years. Max died on August 28, 2015 of a heart attack. I'm so thankful for all the fun memories I have of that silly little bird.

Meet him with Blessings of Goodness. 

I can honestly say, that God has met me with MANY blessings of goodness over the past 15 years. Very thankful for God's blessings of goodness! 

Blessings Celebration Day!

Just wanted to let you know about my Blessings Celebration! I started the day thanking God for His goodness and all the blessings He has sent and continues to send my way. Then I spent time writing notes and emailing people to let them know that they are blessing in my life. I also was able to attend 100 Years of Broadway at Paramount Theater in Aurora, IL.

 When I arrived at the show, I learned that I was given complimentary tickets! The staff wanted to me enjoy my Blessings Celebration!! How cool!! The show was very good. The performers had all worked and sung on many stages, including Broadway. There was a good mix of songs from a variety of shows. And the performers could sing! The Ushers were all so kind. Since, I had to stand during the entire show the Ushers wanted to make sure I was as comfortable as possible. At intermission, one Usher even got me a "booster seat" so I could rest my foot on it. It was just what I needed to make standing easier. After the show I was able to get the performers autographs on the program. To top it all off I was given a CD of the singer I enjoyed most!

Most of you will ask, isn't your pain level high? Yes, it's unbearable. But in a few days..okay it will be more like a week or two....my pain level will settle back down. But the fun I had today will live on in my memory. Each time I listen to the CD, or think of today, I'll smile. I'll think of how God continues to bless me....even by allowing me to attend the show for FREE! That was an AWESOME blessing!!
So, the next year is about to begin......and I'm looking forward to counting all the blessings God has in store for me!!